What is Startup Weekend?

Startup Weekend is a global network of passionate leaders and entrepreneurs on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower individuals, teams and communities. Come share ideas, form teams, and launch startups.

Past event…

Ever wondered what it takes to be an entrepreneur?

The professional and personal challenges, the high and lows, the failures and the success?

Startup Weekend is a global grassroots movement of active and empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. It is the largest community of passionate entrepreneurs with over 1800 past events in 120 countries around the world in 2014.

The non-profit organization is headquartered in Seattle, Washington but Startup Weekend organizers and facilitators can be found in over 200 cities around the world. From Mongolia to South Africa to London to Brazil, people around the globe are coming together for weekend long workshops to pitch ideas, form teams, and start companies.

All Startup Weekend events follow the same basic model: anyone is welcome to pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers. Teams organically form around the top ideas (as determined by popular vote) and then it’s a 54 hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing, and market validation. The weekends culminate with presentations in front of local entrepreneurial leaders with another opportunity for critical feedback.

Whether entrepreneurs found companies, find a cofounder, meet someone new, or learn a skill far outside their usual 9-to-5, everyone is guaranteed to leave the event better prepared to navigate the chaotic but fun world of startups. If you want to put yourself in the shoes of an entrepreneur, register now for the best weekend of your life!

Startup Weekend is coming back to Haifa!

It’s been over a year since Startup Weekend first came to Haifa and we’ve missed the great air, the sea view and aspecialy the great people we’ve met last year, so we are coming back! In the first weekend of March 2013 (Wednesday 6th through Friday 8th) we will be hosting our second Startup Weekend event in Haifa’s Youth Center and we are counting on you to bring that great entreprenuerial spirit we saw last year.

Save your seat (and your T-Shirt) now!

So what are you waiting for?If we learned one thing from last year is that the tickets are going like crazy in the weeks before the events so if you want to make sure we have a chair and a T-shirt for you, Sign up now and get your 3-day ticket (Including food and a Startup Weekend T-Shirt) as soon as possible.

Wednesday

Mar 6

8:00pmStart to formalize teams and take an inventory of skills. Be honest, and direct about what resources and skills are needed for the weekend. You may stay and work as late as the venue will allow

11:00pmFinished for the day. You may stay and work as late as the venue will allow

Thursday

Mar 7

9:00amArrive, simple breakfast & coffee

9:30amTeams formed and setting up workspace for the weekend

12:00pmLunch

1:00pmCall for needs & skills

2:00pmCoaches help teams one-on-one. They are here to help!

17:00Lecutre: Enon Landenberg, VP, SpaceIL

6:30pmDinner

7:30pmMid weekend check-in, status reports, call for help

11:00pmFinished for the day. You may stay and work as late as the venue will allow

Friday

Mar 8

8:30amArrive, simple breakfast & coffee

10:00pmCoaches arrive… ASK QUESTIONS

11:00amGut check. Start prepping for presentations

12:00pmLunch

12:30pmFINAL PRESENTATIONS

14:00pmJudging & awards

14:30pmWrapup and go home!

Judges

Enon Landenberg

Chief Commercial Marketing SpaceIL

Enon Landenberg is the co-founder and managing partner of E-Dologic, the first Israeli interactive agency, which was founded in 1999 with Doron Tal .
The two set the tone for the Israeli interactive field and Under Enon's leadership, E-Dologic launched revolutionary campaigns for leading companies such as JDate, Coca-Cola, Mazda, Ford, orange, Osem, Nestle, and more.

Yael Mittelman

CEO, hiCenter

Yael is leading hiCenter's unique entrepreneurial campus providing entrepreneurs in all stages of development with the tools they need to take ideas from dream to real world business success.
Among the executive positions Yael filled in the Hi-Tech industry, she served as the CEO of Trivnet and successfully led the company to market leadership in international mobile remittance (Trivnet was acquired by Gemalto). Previously, she was CBOO at Hilan Tech, a publicly-traded, payroll software and SaaS provider, where she played a major role in M&A and IPO activities.

Gilad Steinberger

Bizspark Program Manager, Microsoft Israel

Yariv Inbar

CEO, JohnBryce Mediatech Hi-Tech.

Yariv is the CEO of John Bryce – Mediatech Hi-Tech - the leading training center for Information technologies, Computing and Hi Tech in the north region of Israel.
Yariv also established the Matrix greentech college - a leading institute in greentech training and the first college in Israel to provide education, training and professional retraining in Cleantech professions.
Among his management positions, Yariv is the entrepreneur of the Israeli Personal Computer Museum, the first and the only museum for computers history in Israel.

Avital Zer-Sincai

Adv. Avital Zer-Sincai heads the technology and intellectual property (IP) practice at Shenhav, Konforti, Shavit & Co.
Avital is well experienced in high-tech industrial companies as well as providing legal services for startups from their incorporation stage to fund raising. As such, Avital represent investors seeking to invest in new ventures whether by fund raising or M&A transactions, as well as entrepreneurs and early stages startups seeking for investments.

Vova Soroka

Leader, Global Technology Unit (GTU) at IBM

Vladimir (Vova) Soroka is a Leader, Global Technology Unit (GTU). GTU is working with many Israeli ISVs to help them succeed in the marketplace by collaborating with IBM across the board. Prior to leading the GTU Mr. Soroka was a Senior Manager, Collaboration Technologies, at IBM Research - Haifa. In this job he was managing a department dealing with wide range of social and collaborative tools. Mr. Soroka is author of more than 15 journal and conference papers, and holds 19 patents. He is also serving as IBM Master Inventor.

Before joining IBM, Vova worked in few Israeli startups, being one of the first Internet developers in Israel. He was part of the teams building first Israeli Internet sites, and then was a lead developer for Internet based fax server. He is holding B.Sc. in Computer
Science from the Technion, Israeli Institute of Technology and MA in Communication from University of Haifa. He is active in both academic and professional communities world wide in the area of Human Computer Interaction and Computer Supported Collaborative Work.

Coaches

Amos Konforti

Partner, Shenhav Konforti Shavit & Co.

Adv. Amos Konforti is a senior partner at Shenhav, Konforti, Shavit & Co., and head of the firm's M&A and international practice.

Amos's M&A expertise is driven by 25 years of versatile commercial experience, inter alia, providing ongoing legal counsel to leading commercial corporations. With broad hands-on commercial experience combined with M&A management's expertise, Amos is highly skilled in promoting both local and international M&A transactions, a practice field in which he holds a proven reputation.

Ron Lefeber

VP Business Development, hiCenter

Ron is heading the Business Development, Deal Flow activities and tech scouting for hiCenter.
In his previous positions, Ron served as the CEO of HomeNet, a start-up in the security systems market. Ron was also Co-Founder & CEO of Orbotek Systems Ltd., which developed space and military systems.

Tzvika Shahaf

Marketing Manager, hiCenter

Tzvika is forming and implementing the marketing strategy of the hiCenter entrepreneurial campus. Tzvika also leads the topStartup Accelerator
program as well the Co-working space – topCenter.
Tzvika is an accomplished hands-on leader with proven international experience at both startups and investment companies.

Ronen Siman Tov

IT Architect, IBM

Ronen Siman Tov is an IBM IT architect and a member of IBM GTU, with 20 years of experience in the development & management of complex software systems. Ronen holds a M.Sc degree from Ben Gurion University (A.I. & Robotics). IBM GTU (Global Technology Unit) is a unique division in IBM Israel that promotes business initiatives with Israeli Hi-Tech companies whose innovative solutions incorporate IBM products and services, thus ensuring a strong value proposition for both IBM and the partner in joint sales initiatives worldwide.

Alon Lugass

Senior partner in Ernst & Young Israel

Alon is the head of the Haifa office and the Transaction Advisory & Corporate Finance Department.
Specializes in Technology and Hi-tech sector and led many worldwide projects in this sector.
His highly and diversely experience includes a support to multinational corporations as well as promising early stage companies

Michael Marciano

Partner, Hi-Tec and Startup practice, Ernst & Young

Michael's primary focus is on High Tech companies traded in Nasdaq. Additionally, Michael has a vast experience in serving High Tech companies from their very basic stages to IPO and M&A. His significant clients include, EZchip Semiconductor, Allot ,Ceva, and Pluristem which are been traded in the US and several promising start-ups companies in the High Tech and Cleantech industries. Michael advises many of the Israeli start-ups on business, accounting and international tax issues, as well as other major Israeli high-tech corporations on issues relating to M&A transactions and registration of shares in the U.S. stock exchanges, including: offering structures, SEC requirements, U.S. GAAP and IFRS GAAP

Gal Ginat

Executive Director in Ernst & Young Israel.

Gal is part of the Transaction Advisory Service, and her main focus lies in Strategic Advisory and R&D Incentives. Gal advises to leading companies with global presence, and among her clients are various high-technology, biotechnology and medical device companies, from startups to large scale enterprises.

Shachar Hefetz

Ecosystem & BP Strategy Manager , IBM

Shachar is a member of IBM GTU working with ISVs on implementing marketing strategy and covering marketing for mobile, smarter commerce, smarter cities & analytics. With 15 years of experience in branding & marketing at IBM business partners and systems divisions. Shachar holds a degree in computer Science from Tel-Aviv Yaffo University & MBA from the Technion. IBM GTU (Global Technology Unit) is a unique division in IBM Israel that promotes business initiatives with Israeli Hi-Tech companies whose innovative solutions incorporate IBM products and services, thus ensuring a strong value proposition for both IBM and the partner in joint sales initiatives worldwide.

Eitan Gal

Leader Architect at IBM Global Technology Unit.

Eitan brings over 25 years experience in the design, development, management and delivery of computer software and architecture in broad range of platforms and technologies.
The GTU is the crossroads between IBM and the Israeli High Tech Industry
The GTU enables Israeli based high- tech companies who are interested in conducting business and cooperating with IBM world- wide to receive local
support together with international sales assistance.

Ofer Lavi

IBM Research, Haifa Research Lab

Mr. Lavi is a Research Staff Member in the Machine Learning Technologies Group at IBM Research, Haifa.
He received his B.Sc. degree in Computer Science from the Hebrew University in 2001, and his M.Sc. in Computer Science from Tel Aviv University in 2010, conducting research in the field of bioinformatics.
Ofer started his way as an entrepreneur, co-founded and served as the CTO of IntelliGate, a startup company in the fields of machine learning and natural language processing. He has joined IBM's Haifa Research Lab at 2010, focusing on application of unsupervised learning to problems of anomaly detection.